


High in the Sky

by BlueDysania



Series: Skeletons in Hogwarts [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, First Meetings, Gryffindor Edge, Hufflepuff Red, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Relation Between Skeletons, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pining Red, Quidditch, Ravenclaw Sans, Slytherin Papyrus, lots of comfort, smol sans - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 10:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14952884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDysania/pseuds/BlueDysania
Summary: How Papyrus and Sans first met. A rescue. A smile. And the beginning of love at first sight.The idea doesn't seem as silly now.





	High in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in the works for a while now and was mostly finished. not entirely happy with it but I've spent hours staring at it and can't figure out what to add that i'm satisfied with. so here this is. :3

"he's so fuckin' cool."

Sans peeked above the rim of his Arithmancy book at Red and then looked out at the Quidditch field. The Gryffindor team was practicing their quaffle shots and the sole skeleton flier had just thrown the ball clear past the Keeper. And pretty far considering the retriever had yet to reappear with the quaffle yet.

He side-eyed his Hufflepuff friend with a small grin, hidden by his textbook. Red was smiling broadly, eyelights following the skeleton flier with an intense focus usually reserved for… well… not much actually. The crimson flush on Red's cheeks couldn't be blamed on the cold either. Being skeletons and what not.

"getting a bit heated, Red?" Sans said, looking back down but catching Red startle into a flustered curl next to him.

"wha- shut up, Sans!"

"woah, _chill_ out. you look a little _light-ish red_ there, pal."

"Stars, Sans if yer don' shut up-"

"oh look, Edge is up again."

Red whipped his head around so fast, Sans was surprised his veterbrae didn't pop. Red hopped off the bench, gripping the wooden barrier as he returned to his intense observing as though he had never been interrupted. Sans laughed to himself quietly.

Red's crush on the Gryffindor was hilarious; and sweet. And much more than a crush, he thought as he eyed the lean skeleton flying through the air above them. He knew, of course he knew Red was his best friend, that Red and Edge were far more devoted to each other than they'd revealed to the world. He was waiting, patiently, for Red to tell him of his own accord. No one else seemed to suspect a thing and as far as he could tell, both were content with their arrangement. He didn't understand it himself but Red seemed happy and Sans had seen him unhappy far to often to upset him now.

So, he sat in silence with his book as Red ogled his datemate, supporting him as he had supported Sans in the past.

He got so caught up in the current chapter of his coursework that the shrill whistle from the Coach nearly had him upsetting his supplies that he had slowly spread out as he worked. Blinking, he whipped his head around to take in what was happening and saw the Gryffindor team spiraling down to the ground.

"what's going on?" He asked Red who was looking down at the field with a look of disappointment.

"eh, just practice endin'. looks like Slytherin has the next trainin' bracket."

Sans watched Red fidget for a minute before chuckling under his breath, "why don't you go down there and talk to him?"

Red sent a scowl his way, "don' know what yer talking about."

Sans raised a brow and then drawled, "riiiiight…" as he looked back down at his notes. When he heard nothing from Red he darted a glance up to him and said, "it's okay, you know. if you like him."

Red didn't say anything else but the one nod he got was enough for Sans. The teams must have switched by then because Red backed away from the railing, grabbing his well-worn book bag.

"uh… i'll see yer later then."

Sans nodded and Red trotted down the stairs and out of sight. He looked at the spot Red had been standing and considered his options as he watched a few flyers wearing green ascend from beyond the railing. He had only come out here because Red had asked him too. He had no real interest in Quidditch and the potential violence of it had kept him from most of the games.

He tapped a quill against his parchment and sighed. He had everything laid out on the empty bench, he might as well finish the essay before he packed up and headed back to his dormitory.

He returned to his essay with renewed focus now that his obligation to stay was gone. He found himself glancing upwards toward the Slytherin team every now and then, mild curiosity drawing his attention whenever he heard particularly loud exclamations. On one such occasion, he found two Slytherins hovering still, heads bowed. One of them pointed at him with their Beater bat.

Sans had had his fair share of Slytherin bullies since he'd come to this school, but this was a public place and if it were a closed practice then Coach would have cleared the stands himself. He forced himself to return to his essay, trying to keep his confidence in his own reasoning. Every now and then however, he found himself trying to glance over without being noticed, slightly uneasy.

He had just been considering packing up and heading inside as the light of the evening was no longer as good as it had been earlier. He'd been reaching for his book bag when he suddenly heard a loud voice cry out "STOP!"

Sans looked over to the voice and saw a streak of green suddenly arc around one of the stadium's stands, headed straight for him. Then he heard the distinct sound of a bat hitting a Bludger much closer than he'd ever heard before. He looked upwards at the field again-

-and froze in fear.

In hindsight, he should have run, jumped, ducked under the railing which had been designed to withstand misdirected Bludger hits. Instead, he sat there stunned, staring as the Bludger closed the distance toward him. He saw the victorious face of the Beater who had pointed at him earlier disappear behind the Bludger's approach.

He thought of his fragile bones.

He thought about how he didn't want to die.

He thought of his father's worried eyelights as Sans asked if he could attend Hogwarts this year and his promise that he'd be safe.

Sans closed his sockets tightly, not wanting to see the ugly black sphere that would kill him… and felt two arms wrap around him, vice-like in their tightness, and the sudden jolt of spiraling upwards.

He was stunned but as he felt his upset equilibrium settle, Sans peeked open a socket, confused and dazed. He ended up looking into a picturesque sunset, miles up in the air.

He was being held securely in strong arms, tucked against someone's chest. He could feel a hand pressing his face into their shoulder, themselves shaking slightly. Sans told himself to push himself away, to demand he be put down and then thank them for…

Sans shut his sockets again, for once not comforted by the sky, and held on tighter to his rescuer.

He had almost _died_.

He had almost broken his promise to his father.

The heavy cloth against his face was cold and damp; Sans was crying and he had no idea if he could stop.

Luckily, the one holding him did not seem to be in any hurry to let him go. They said nothing as they gently glided, taking their time to descend to the ground. Sans found himself glad for it even if they did not intend for him to be comforted.

Eventually however, the sounds of shouting became audible as they got closer to the ground. As though the voices had startled him from some odd trance Sans found himself trembling and completely unable to soothe himself enough to stop. There was a strange feeling in his throat that had him fearful if he tried to talk he would cry harder.

He felt the thud of his rescuer landing and their secure hold on him loosen a tad as they dismounted their broom. Sans was set down carefully and once he felt his feet hit the ground, he nearly collapsed from their shakiness. The hands that still had not left him steadied him until he could stand on his own and lingered on his shoulders.

Breathing in deeply, he swallowed around another bout of tears and fisted his hands in his robes to try and stop his trembling. The hands on his shoulders kneaded the bones under them and Sans finally looked up to see who had come to his rescue.

Another skeleton, far taller than himself, was bent at the waist, looking at him with such a sincere look of worry that the fact he wore Slytherin robes didn't bother him as much as it might have otherwise.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" The look in the other's sockets seemed to flash with regret and guilt every second. The other skeleton lifted a hand and brushed it against his cheeks, wiping away his tears.

Sans had finally gotten himself to stop shaking, as much as he could tell, but now he only felt cold and on edge and strangely displaced as he stared at the other. The Slytherin seemed to sense his inability to speak and the twist of his teeth straightened in determination, "THAT WAS FOOLISH. YOU ARE NOT OKAY. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL WING?"

Sans knew if he'd not just had the scare of his life, he would have protested in earnest. His father would be alerted by the Matron immediately and then who knows how Gaster would react. In his current state however, Sans nodded once and the other skeleton held out a hand.

Slipping his mitten into the other's glove, he took a step and had to catch himself from stumbling.

He might have felt humiliated but he simply felt a few more tears slip from his sockets. He might have just let himself collapse but instead the hand in his released him, ran across his arm, his shoulders, and then he was being picked up again with another strong arm coming up under him.

He was back into the Slytherin's earlier hold and felt some form of relief seep into his bones as Sans rested his head against their shoulder.

"It's alright." The Slytherin spoke softer, comfortingly, "I know that was scary."

"Hey!"

It was Coach's voice and Sans could hear the fury and concern in their voice.

"Is he alright? Was he hit?"

"NO, I MANAGED TO PULL HIM OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE HE IS IN SOME STATE OF SHOCK, COACH. I WAS JUST BRINGING HIM TO THE HOSPITAL WING."

The coach heaved a sigh of relief, perhaps too much relief as Sans felt the other skeleton tighten his hold slightly. "Thank you. You need to take him straight there, Papyrus." Of course, Sans realized at the worried demand, the teachers were all aware of his frail condition. It had been a condition for Sans' enrollment but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. He'd managed to forget to think about it until now.

"I WAS." There was a note of question in Papyrus' voice but he said nothing else.

"R-Right. Off you go." The anger returned to Coach's voice, "Your practice will not be resuming. You might want to consider holding Beater try-outs soon."

Papyrus must have nodded because Sans heard nothing as he turned on his heel and began to stride quickly across the field. Sans kept his sockets closed. He had no desire to see any of the other Slytherin Quidditch players.

By the time they entered the castle, Sans only felt shivers assault him every minute or so though the coldness enveloping his Soul remained the same. Now that he could think a little better he realized that he was, in fact, in shock and sighed. Why had he frozen like that? If he'd just moved…

Sans shook his head once. It didn't matter now, did it? Luckily Papyrus had seen what his teammates had been planning and been quick enough to do what Sans could not.

"ARE YOU STILL AWAKE, LITTLE RAVENCLAW SKELETON?"

A giggle was muffled into the other's shoulder. It was only slightly feverish but it was a sound which was a good start considering his earlier muteness. But the question roused him from his daze and he pulled back to blink tiredly up at him.

Papyrus.

That was the name of the monster who had saved his life. The one who kept Sans' promise to his father intact.

"t-thanks… Pap-Papyrus…" He managed to say through the tightness in his throat.

He wasn't sure if Papyrus heard him, it barely sounded like a whisper to his own ears. Any doubt however was dashed when the Slytherin looked down at him with a bright smile.

"YOU ARE VERY WELCOME!"

Sans couldn’t help smiling back.

 

 

Sans was safely delivered into the Matron's hands and ushered into a bed with the curtains pulled for privacy. After a small check-up, he drank the sleeping draught that the Matron had summoned. He remembered drifting off, the Matron slipping through the curtains, and hearing Papyrus asking about his wellbeing before letting the draught take him under.

' _Papyrus…_ ' Sans fell asleep with a small smile and the Slytherin's face at the front of his mind.

 


End file.
